TRANSCENDENTALISM"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a

new day."-Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Transcend- Verb 1.to rise above or go beyond;

overpass; exceed: kindness transcends courtesy.

2.to outdo or exceed in excellence, elevation, extent, degree, etc.;

surpass; excel.3.Theology. (of the Deity) to be one

with the universe, time, etc.).

What is it?

American transcendentalism was an

important movement in philosophy and

literature that flourished during the early to middle

years of the nineteenth century

(about 1836-1860).

How did it come about…o Began as reform movement in the

church that focused on God’s presence in every individual and emphasized intuition • (tuition=that which can be taught,

thus INtuition=cannot be taught)o Believed that the soul of each

individual is identical with the soul of the world and contains what the world contains• Emerson called this the

OVERSOUL.

oInterconnectivity of man, God, and

natureoIndividualism and self-relianceoIntuition leads to knowledgeoInherent goodness of peopleoImagination and emotions celebrated

The I’s of Transcendentalism

What do Transcendentalists believe?

o Unity of man and creation o All is one- DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH

GODo Truth can be understood fully only through

experienceo Essential nature of human beings is good and

if left in a state of nature, human beings would seek the good- Transcendentalists seek MORAL AND PHYSICAL PURITY

o Society is to blame for the corruption that mankind endures

o Only by transcending the limits of rationalism and received tradition can the individual fully realize his or her potential

Five Tenets of Transcendentalism

1. Individuality – We are the creator of our own values, not others. We cannot rely on others to give us meaning; we can only find it within ourselves.

Five Tenets of Transcendentalism

2. Non-conformity – A person should remain outside of society’s, and possibly government’s, influence in order to achieve true peace.

Five Tenets of Transcendentalism

3. Reverence of Nature - Nature is a living mystery, full of signs. Living close to and at one with nature is important.

Five Tenets of Transcendentalism

3. Self-Reliance – we should trust our instincts and intuition to guide us to do the right thing.

Five Tenets of Transcendentalism

5. Dignity of Manual Labor/Simplicity – we can only be happy when we give up the “stuff” that society forces us need and we should not be above doing manual labor to get our “stuff.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson• 1803 – 1882• Unitarian Minister (Seventh

generation)• Educated by Aunt Moody who taught

him to be an independent thinker• Death of first wife from T.B. caused

him to question traditional Christianity

• New faith eliminated the historical and external elements of Christianity

• Focused on personal experience of the spirit

Genres: Poetry, Essays, SermonsMajor Themes: • Reliance on self• Individual perceptions are most

important• Non-Conformity• Nature as ideal

In my writing…

From Nature (1836)

“In the woods is perpetual youth… In the woods we return to reason and faith…”

“…Standing on the bare ground… all egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball. I am nothing. I see all.”

“…Let us demand our own works and laws and worship...”

From “Self-Reliance” (1841)

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide…”

“Trust thyself…”

“What I must do is

all that concerns

me, not what

people think…”

“…to be great is to be misunderstood”

“…none but he knows what

that is which he can do, not

does he know until he has

tried.”

Henry David Thoreau• 1817 – 1862• While at Harvard read Nature by

Emerson and was greatly influenced by the work

• After teaching for a few years and death of his brother, he decided to retire to a cabin owned by Emerson near Walden Pond

• He kept a journal while in the woods and this became a basis for Walden

• Focused on living deliberately in nature and the importance of the environment

In my writing…Genres: Books, Essays

Themes• Relationship between man and nature• Society’s limitations and restrictions on

the individual• Man is divine

From Walden (1854)“The mass of

men lead lives of quiet desperation”

“Our life is frittered away by detail…

simplicity, simplicity,

simplicity!”

From Civil Disobedience (1848)

“If a government is maintaining unjust laws, people should at once effectually withdraw their support, both in person and property, from the government”

“That government is best which governs least”